If you want your holiday displays to be stunning and sophisticated, add a little silver. Silver has become my gold standard when I want to craft richly appointed holiday displays, whether itís a little treatment for a side table or a knock-it-out-of-the-park look for my dining room.

Why? Because silver looks perfect with everything.

Platinum is one of my new favorite colors for the holidays because it has all the sparkling glory of silver, yet has a slightly warmer tone. I am pairing platinum with champagne, a whispery soft shade of gold, to create a dynamic duo that transports the look of everything it touches.

You can showcase these two metallic marvels all by themselves or you can bring in a third color for added interest. I have paired them with all shades of brown, red, green and blue, and all looked good. Whatever colors you have in your home and whatever the style of the holiday decor, it will look marvelous with the addition of platinum and champagne.

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Depending on what kind of feel you want for the holidays, you can completely saturate your spaces in platinum and champagne or just add them as an accent. Thread some gilded platinum and champagne picks through the greenery on your mantel, where it will reflect the glow of your fire. Weave platinum and champagne garland around the arms of a chandelier over a dining table to give it a bit of sparkle. Insert gilded picks into your Christmas tree for added star quality --your tree will positively glow when these picks are lit up by hundreds of twinkling lights.

You may not think of blue as a natural for holiday decor, but I am convinced that blue, in all its many captivating shades, is a color for all seasons. People tease me because I have such a deep admiration for this color, but it really looks sensational everywhere you put it, including holiday displays.

There is nothing more pristine than a landscape covered in a fresh blanket of snow, glistening in the light of the morning sun. Thatís the feeling I get from the color combination white and silver. White accents are placid and serene, and the addition of sparkling silver makes it feel vivid and alive.

Just because itís a bit fancy doesnít mean silver doesnít look sensational in a more earthy, rustic setting. Twist together bronze and silver to provide a backdrop for a display of birds or greens.

(The column has been adapted from Mary Carol Garrityís blog at www.nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol(at)nellhills.com.)